Top tips to stay motivated on your runs

I was commissioned by Mac Millan to write some articles for their OutRun platform to help motivate and inspire their runners. So I will be releasing them all over the next few weeks. Enjoy!

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Running is quite a repetitive activity and therefore you have to remain focused and motivated to achieve your goal. If moral starts to slip, here are some tips to ensure you stay on track and keep those legs moving!

Understand your objective – “It’s not what you do, it’s why you do it” – If you aren’t sure as to your reason why, you are likely to give up. You may want to lose weight, improve your fitness, lower your blood sugar, spend time outdoors or raise money for charity. Whatever your reason, really use this to drive your motivation and remind yourself of this reason as to why you want to run daily.

Find a partner in crime – We have all have heard this one before but it really does work wonders. Do you want to let your friend down and be “that person”? And no, I don’t mean a slow jog whilst continuously gossiping after the school run. Running alone can get tiresome and monotonous so grab a friend and get going – social interaction can boost your running and inject some fresh energy and motivation into your routine. They don’t have to be an “Out Runner” but great if they are! So find someone with similar goals to you to ensure you are pushing yourself. You can even compare progress and training times to add a little competitive edge into your running.

Keep a training diary – Even with the best intentions, your running can fall behind if you are not tracking exactly what you are doing, what your next goal is and how you are going to get there. This can be a simple note book that records your training, but it also has the potential to be an essential tool for achieving your fitness goals. Track the distance of each run and how long it took. Use it to measure progress and something to be accountable to. A runner’s diary is the blueprint for a successful training plan.

Mix up your route – Do you have a set route that you run week after week? No wonder you are losing the will! Plan some new routes and venture off into different areas – what an opportunity to explore your surroundings! A change of scenery will spark interest and add energy back into your runs.

Go Shopping – I can hear the ladies screaming already – I don’t need to tell them twice! But seriously, go and treat yourself to some new running gear. Use it as a reward once you have achieved a goal. You never know, it could inspire you to get out the door when you otherwise might not have felt like it.

Have a night off – You heard me right! We are all human and our bodies get tired. Rest is super important as your bodies need time to recover. We all love training (right?) but you are allowed a life! Put your feet up and I bet you feel even more enthusiastic to get out running the next day.

Variety is the spice of life – Ultimately, breaking the habits that have become boring is the key to maintaining interest and focus. Break up your running with adding in some intervals or try adding a session of something completely different like weight training, swimming or circuits. This will help reactivate your workout and ultimately your motivation, putting that spring back into your step.